It was an hour before the Clippers hosted the Lakers, but for Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, his work day already was well under way.

Jordan, along with three other Clippers big men and assistant coach Marc Iavaroni, were toiling away at one end of the classroom – also known as the Staples Center court Sunday – working on a variety of spin moves, jump hooks and catch-and-shoots on the block.

A persistent coach, a handful of willing players and just some good old-fashioned teaching and learning.

The course was Building a Big Man 101, and professor Iavaroni was drilling his pupils on the finer points of basketball inside the lane.

The graceful spontaneity of the NBA deceives us into false impressions, as if the game is unfolding before our eyes.

The reality is it’s a tedious journey mapped out, tweaked and perfected in de facto classrooms like the one Iavaroni set up inside Staples Center.

This is where players are honed and developed, and Jordan is a case in point.

We know him as the capable replacement to injured Clippers center Chris Kaman, a big, rugged 6-foot-11 post player with astounding athletic ability who’s emerged seemingly out of nowhere to provide a needed inside presence.

This has been in the works for quite some time, with Iavaroni, whose past work with NBA big men has earned him some vital street cred among players, taking Jordan under his wing and helping him become an inside force.

“Look, (Iavaroni) worked with Amare Stoudemire, and Amare is an All-Star,” Jordan said.

In other words, Jordan is all ears.

“I’m definitely listening to him, picking his brain both offensively and defensively and taking it onto the court,” Jordan said.

As much as the personal tutelage has aided Jordan’s development, his game didn’t start taking off until Kaman went out with an injury and Jordan was pressed into playing time.

“No one knew Chris was going to get hurt, or whether I was going to get five minutes a game or 40 minutes per game,” Jordan said. “I just wanted to be ready. I want to just continue to improve and do what I can to help (the team).”

The hard work with Iavaroni mixed in with the benefit of playing time has resulted in an NBA revelation, with Jordan going from a little-known backup to a player people around the league are identifying as a legitimate starter. Be it with the Clippers – where the 22-year-old Jordan is in his third season – or somewhere else as a likely restricted free agent after this season.

He’s averaging six points per game, but in the last five as a starter, he’s putting up nine points and eight rebounds going into Monday, numbers that figure to increase the more comfortable he gets playing big minutes.

“He’s done a good job,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said.

The fact is, everything is coming together for Jordan.

“I’m definitely getting very comfortable,” Jordan said after scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 99-92 win over the Lakers. “The game is slowing down for me, it’s getting a lot easier. Everything is becoming second nature to me.”

In Jordan, Del Negro saw a young player high on physical ability but behind the curve on the nuances of playing center. Enter Iavaroni, who has worked relentlessly with Jordan on footwork, fundamentals and the mental side of the game – basic things like using his size, speed and leaping ability to become a force on the boards.

“(Jordan) has always had the (tremendous) athleticism,” Iavaroni said. “He now understands, `The more I go to the boards, the more (rebounds) I’m going to get.’ He understands how many rebounds he can grab by just being relentless.”

Beyond that, they are building an offensive base for Jordan, beginning with fundamental stuff at the basket.

“He could always run to the rim and catch lobs for dunks,” Iavaroni said. “We’re trusting that and throwing it to him more now.”

The more comfortable Jordan got catching the ball at the rim, the more the Clippers have started looking for him farther away from the basket.

“He’s worked hard on catching the low `dish’ passes,” Iavaroni said. “Before he would get `fumbly,’ be off-balance and miss the shots. Now he’s getting on balance and finishing those shots.”

It’s added up to more progress over the past six months for Jordan than his two previous seasons combined in Los Angeles.

It’s been a long time coming for Jordan, who was bitterly disappointed when he slipped out of the first round two summers ago all the way to the 35th pick overall out of Texas A&M.

He left the Aggies after his freshman season, thinking he’d be a first-round pick, only to take a serious fall on draft night.

“I got a lot of good feedback (before the draft). I was told I could go mid-first round; a lot of stuff like that but it didn’t happen,” Jordan said. “It was pretty tough, but I knew I would come in and work hard and prove everyone wrong.

“I didn’t question myself; I felt good about (my decision).”

That disappointment is long gone and replaced by an ever-improving game, an opportunity to prove he can be a starter and a fresh outlook on his career.

Vincent Bonsignore is an NFL columnist for the Southern California News Group. Having covered the Los Angeles sports scene for more than two decades, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the leading voices on the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL and NFL relocation.

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